[Carl Copeland]

5.250—Paulus Silentiarius (6th century A.D.)

Sweet, my friends, is the smile that comes over the features of Laïs.
     Sweet the tears that she sheds, gently averting her eyes.
Yesterday she, after resting her head a long while on my shoulder,
     suddenly heaved a deep sigh, hiding her feelings no more.
Kissing her then as she wept, I felt tear after tear, as if welling
     fresh from a watery spring, fall from our interlocked lips.
“Why are you weeping?” I asked her. “Whatever it is, you must tell me.”
     “Fear that you’ll leave me,” she said. “All of you men break your word.”


Edits
L8: Men are untrue to their word > All of you men break your word (Thanks, Julie!)


Original

Ἡδύ, φίλοι, μείδημα τὸ Λαΐδος· ἡδὺ καὶ αὐτῶν
     ἠπιοδινή των δάκρυ χέει βλεφάρων.
χθιζά μοι ἀπροφάσιστον ἐπέστενεν, ἐγκλιδὸν ὤμῳ
     ἡμετέρῳ κεφαλὴν δηρὸν ἐρεισαμένη.
μυρομένην δὲ φίλησα· τὰ δ᾽ ὡς δροσερῆς ἀπὸ πηγῆς
     δάκρυα μιγνυμένων πῖπτε κατὰ στομάτων.
εἶπε δ᾽ ἀνειρομένῳ· “τίνος εἵνεκα δάκρυα λείβεις;”
     — “δείδια μή με λίπῃς· ἐστὲ γὰρ ὁρκαπάται.”

Perseus clickable version: https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper... 2008.01.0472


In lieu of a crib, here are Paton’s early-20th-century prose translation and a recent update by David Tueller, both for the Loeb Classical Library:

Sweet, my friends, is Lais’ smile, and sweet again the tears she sheds from her gently waving eyes. Yesterday, after long resting her head on my shoulder, she sighed without a cause. She wept as I kissed her, and the tears flowing as from a cool fountain fell on our united lips. When I questioned her, “Why are you crying?” She said, “I am afraid of your leaving me, for all you men are forsworn.”

Sweet, my friends, is Laïs’ smile; sweet also are the tears that flow from her very eyes as they gently roll. Yesterday, after long resting her head on my shoulder, she sighed without any reason. She wept as I kissed her, and the tears, as from a cool fountain, fell from our united lips. When I asked her, “Why are you crying?” she said, “I am afraid that you will leave me; for you men are all oath breakers.”